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You don't need a band expander and you don't need any tools. Do this: 1. ign on and radio on 2. within 10 secs, press and hold SEL (if you have nav) or M (if no nav). Service menu will appear 3. Scroll through Service Menu with < > or 1...6 buttons (can't remember which, try and see) until AREA=JPN appears 4. Change AREA to EUROPE or OCEANIA using the 1...6 buttons (maybe repeated presses of 1 required) 5. Turn radio off, turn ign off to save settings Voila!

Simple: eBay Germany. You'll always find lots of auto wreckers on eBay, they can source anything for you. Mail a few of them - they are quite good and some are happy to send parts overseas. Guido is a good bloke, give him my regards :-)

Just use relays The extra load of a relay coil (ie: very very little) on the individual circuits won't upset the light bulb monitoring. A lot of auto sparkies use this approach, means they can use garden-variety automotive relays, and don't have to get any special BMW parts. Of course, using the relay method means you have no light-bulb monitoring of the trailer lights. If you use the original BMW trailer light module then you will have proper working light-bulb monitoring of the trailer lights.

Always the best answer !!

Read the E46 wiki? 330ci had the M54B30 motor The M-sport does no change to the motor, it is looks (bumpers, side skirts) and handling (suspension) only, maybe some interior pretty-ups too.

Or E90?

Service Mode works as long as radio is turned on, so Key has to be in Pos 1 only. Turn radio on Press and hold (with 10 sec of turning on) RDS until service menu appears Doesn't work? Turn ign off, then try again, in sequence, using the following buttons: RDS TP MODE SELECT BMW keep on changing the way you get into the service mode. But there is always a way, you just have to find it. Tip: if you have the Jap C23 JAPAN radio module then service mode only shows traffic volume (I think) To enable TV-in-motion either: 1. Use the key-press method 2. Program it with my NavCoder software 3. Fit a TV-in-motion hardware adapter (listed in order of cost, cheapest to most expensive) Key-press method, (works only for 1st and 2nd gen TV modules, may not work on 2001 car): Set ignition to pos. II enter TV mode enter "settings" enter "contrast" when the green contrast bar is visible, push the knob and keep it pressed turn ignition off (keep button pressed!) wait 8-10 seconds (timing must be accurate!) release the knob turn on ignition again Now you can watch TV during driving (but always keep at least one eye on the road - that said) To watch videotext use the same procesure as above, but chose"brightness" instead of "contrast"As for connecting the AV-IN: 1. Buy an RCA cable with white/yellow connectors (if you can) or white/red, as long as is necessary to go from TV tuner (under nav computer) to where ever you want. 2. Remove boot liner to expose TV tuner mounted below nav computer 3. Cut off one end of RCA cable, and trim leads back so you can fit connector pins nicely 4. Fit (solder) connector pins - but these from BMW. The connector is item 9 in this picture. Pins are part number 61130005197, and cost USD 1.28 each. NZ price will be 2x or 3x that :-) 5. Unplug white connector from video module and remove white housing 6. Fit new cable with pins as follows: Pin6 = Video signal in Pin15 = Video signal shield Pin4 = Audio signal in Pin5 = Audio signal shield Best iPod video cable for car, what I used for my car, because it powers the iPod and has a proper ground: Here's the full pinout of the TV tuner connectors: NOTE: Some video devices, if battery powered, will have no ground connection to the car and will result in an unstable picture. If this is the case, you need to do one of the following: 1. Either power the device from the car (I did this with my iPod using a docking cable with AV and 12V power - here's the cable I used). 2. Connect the video shield to ground. You can do this in the white connector (pins 10 & 11 should be chassis gnd) or by connecting it to a metal part of the body with a wire. NOTE2: Pin9 - Signal Search - on the white TV tuner plug, can be fitted so rear seat passengers can change the TV channel. Connect a pushh-button switch between pin9 and ground. Every time the switch is pressed, the TV changes change from ...28,28,30,AV,1,2,3... etc NOTE3: You can also see you can fit rear monitors and drive them from the white plug (AV-OUT) NOTE4: You can also see you can fit a reversing camera Enjoy!

The keys are not designed to be repaired, so any repair is a DIY. Remember: the electronic part (immobilisier chip) is coded to your immobiliser The mechanical part (key blade) is cut to fit the mechanical lock So with a DIY repair, you need to retain your mechanical and electrical part.... and somehow cut open and replace the plastic casing. Not easy...

Excellent, that's great! Makes your car feel MUCH better now doesn't it ?? Nothing like having TV in the car. For your next DIY, you'd be keen to know how to connect your iPod Video to your car so you can watch movies in the car.... just ask if you are keen... all it needs is cables... And of course, you can have your TV going all the time... not quite in line with the LTSA... but can be done. No, the radio Service Mode is hidden. Access it like this: PROCEDURES E46 (3 Series) with Navigation system BM53 with small screen Board Monitor 1. Turn the radio on. 2. Press and hold the "RDS' button for at least 8 seconds. 3. Scroll through the functions using the "< >" buttons. 4. Turn the radio off to leave the service mode. On a Euro car, the button you have labelled as TRAFFIC becomes RDS TP (only the labelling on the button changes): So press the left hand side of TRAFFIC to enter service mode. Let me know if it works. You may be interested to know that you can also convert the Telephone to make it work, but however only AFTER you have converted the nav (simply because a GSM telephone won't work with a Jap nav). The BMW integrated bluetooth is a really really cool in-car phone system. Enjoy!

Yes, what you say about SW for that generation car is true. Because BMWs software upload facility is pretty crappy. The control units don't "fail" totally, they can be brought back to life, but require use of the proper expert tools and access to the flash memory. The older cars were much better and more stable in terms of reflashing :-) As for stating "a band expander ... to get your radio working" we could have a long debate about the plusses and minuses of band expanders. Let me just say the best place to fit them is in front of the rear wheels. Then rev the engine and drop the clutch. Give the band expander what it deserves. From a passionate radio engineer :-)

Yes, M means MODE :-) To change language to English, you change it in the "Settings". Settings is the bottom-left option on the main menu (whether English or Jap, it's always bottom-left) Select the bottom-left Japanese text and click it. The language setting is down the bottom of the first Settings screen. It's the only line that shows "GB" or "UK" or "US" - all meaning "English" of course. I think the Jap cars have US written on the menu. Scroll down, click, select "US" and click. Voila! Everything in English. Regarding setting the radio to NZ mode: Your car is right on the cutover date. 09/2001 was when they changed from old-generation (unprogrammable) radio to new-generation (world-tuner) radio Cross your fingers and hope you have the new radio - you'll see straight away in the Service Mode if it shows an area setting. Europe is the best setting, otherwise select Oceania if Europe doesn't appear. TV (if you have it) just needs to be changed to PAL-Europe and then it will pick up all NZ VHF and UHF channels. As for the nav, to make it work in NZ requires changing the nav computer (the drive in the boot) to a Euro-model Mk3 or Mk4 nav. Mk4 is the best. It's not plug-and-play, as some wiring needs to be changed and connectors need to be changed. You can buy 2nd hand Mk3s or Mk4s on eBay. The Mk3/Mk4 is the same around the world, so it doesn't matter what country you source it from. But it is fully possible to have your E46 converted so that radio, TV, nav and telephone all work 100% perfectly in NZ. And navigation is cool - I highly recommend converting the nav. Nav conversion can be done as a DIY - I have instructions and software to reprogram the nav, or hotwire on this forum offers a nav upgrade service whereby you just bring the car to him, and he does everything for you.

Plus: All warning and safety labels on the car are in Japanese (look in Engine bay) Number plate holders are for Japanese numberplates (short and fat) not NZ/Euro size You can spot a Japanese car from the rear due to the numberplate holder easily.

The antenna amplifier is the radio tuner. In the C-pillar. All-in-one on the later model cars.

I disagree. It is a world-radio, which is programmed to suit the destination region/market of the vehicle It CAN be reprogrammed with the right tools.

The regulator (pulley) inside the door will be damaged. Replace it. With a new one they deteriorate due to age - plastic gets brittle - so don't fit a 2nd hand "old" one as you don't know how long it will last. Fit a new one.

Car-Key-Memory is only programmable using the BMW diagnostic software. You need to see the dealer. I suggest tick everything you want and then go and ask. If you do it in combination with a service, where they need to connect the diagnostics anyway, then maybe he may not even charge you for it...

Sortof, never delved into them, but as I understand it they're just using lookup-tables to change the air-fuel-mix and a few other tweakable things. With some closed-loop optimisation too.

A tiny insy bit of research using nothing more than Google reveals that:_ 1. 2006 Touaregs had DVD-nav systems, not CD nav systems. That ebay auction you were watching was for a much older system than your car had ex-factory. 2. Here's the RNS510 VW nav system fitted to a 2004 Touareg: Read more on this Touareg thread 3. The current nav system is the RNS510 4. Here's a good source of info too: VW Passat 3c Navi FAQ So you see, with Google you can find out lots of stuff.....

You could get a heck of a lot more help if a) you stated what car you had initially, instead of having us guessing you posted photos of what you have, instead of leaving us in the dark c) you post photos of connectors on your existing radio, would help heaps d) you advise us the results of your asking VW NZ if they have nav maps available for VW Touraregs, and if so, for what year? PS: small tip: you're also asking in a BMW forum, so the info here is generally limited to BMWs and you'll be very lucky if anyone knows anything else about other cars.

I'm not familiar with VWs but before you change the nav check and verify the following: 1. Is a NZ map disc available for the VW nav? Who made the nav? Who makes the nav disc? Can you buy the map in NZ? 2. Does the US model physically fit the Jap model space in the dash? Are the dash holes the same? Normally they are, but you should check. 3. Are the wiring connections the same as the Jap model? BMW is not (Jap BMW is different to Euro BMW), VW may, or may not be the same wiring Jap vs Euro. 4. Is the US software correct for use in NZ? NZ generally follows Euro specs. If not, do you have access to the tools to reprogram the nav? All of the above and more was what I had to research and find answers to when i converted my first BMW from Jap nav to NZ nav However, I've never done a VW. At the very very least before you do anything more you should remove the existing Jap nav and photograph and document the connectors, and then compare with Euro / USA wiring. PS. you should mention what Tourareg you have, there's lots of differences between a 2008 Tourareg and a 2004 model. The VW nav systems on the 2008 cars are much better than the 2004 models. But due to changes in CAN bus used in the VW, you may not be able to use a 2008 model in a 2004 car.

Check and clean all drainage pipes / channels from the front air vent intakes below the front windscreen. Check carefully for signs of rust, especially around any cable gromments and other pipework that goes through the firewall. It is possible that water dribbles down the firewall, between the firewall and the carpet. I had a similar problem on a 10-year old Mitsubishi, in the end I found it was a body seal that had cracked between front guard and firewall, right where the drainage was, and water was coming in. To repair the body seal would have required removing the front guard panels, removing welded-on body parts, and removing the entire dash. In the end, I tried to seal with expandable foam, and also fitted a water barrier to prevent water flowing over to the cracked body seal area. Then it was good ! Make sure you lift and dry the carpet thoroughly- I parked my car outside with the doors open and sun shining in on the wet spot, as well as using fans, to properly dry the insulating material. Otherwise, mould will grow and it'll stink like anything.

Ahh. You have described 2 x key compromises: 1. Longevity with normal use by any type of driver "the restrictors are put into the ECU to compensate for abuse and neglect " Take out the restrictions and the car changes from one that anyone can drive - trained drivers to old grannies - to one that must be especially cared for and looked after by knowledgable drivers. ie: no longer suitable for the entire market spectrum. 2. Driveability "the stock tunes are designed to be smooth and non offensive, " = driveability. Go to an agressive tune and you sacrifice driveability I think you've answered my questions well, thanks :-)

DSP was marketed as the top sound system. DSP adds, as well as the DSP-processing, 2 x subwoofers. However in my experience it also adds hiss and noise. If you want to play around with the BMW system and add subwoofers, add tweaters, mids, highs, lows, kickers, subs, bommers whatever, then non-DSP makes life easier for you.

Here's a provocative question to everyone (and I genuinely do not know the answer) Given that BMW invest millions of Euros in engine development to achieve the best in power, performance, fuel economy, emissions compliance and engine longevity, how is it that a small chip tuning company, for a paltry fee of a few hundred dollars, can "improve" what BMW have spent millions on? Or in other words: what parameter of the engine is compromised when the chip-tuners increase power? I am actually quite curious to what people think, believe and know....

1. On the main menu of the nav system, look for "DSP". DSP means you have DSP. 2. Look at the amplifier and CD changer in the boot. If it has a coax audio connection from CD changer to amplifier, you have DSP